On Tuesday, Lower Merion School District Superintendent Frank Ranelli announced that the merger was approved by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and will go into effect for the 2027-28 academic year. In August, Harriton suspended its varsity football season<\/a> because of low participation, player safety concerns, and the school\u2019s ability to maintain a competitive program.<\/p>\n Ranelli wrote in a statement<\/a> that the schools will evaluate \u201crelevant logistical topics,\u201d including specifics on where the unified team would practice or play its games, and the merger\u2019s \u201cimpact on related activities such as cheer and pep band\u201d in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile thoughtfully implementing this change to our high school football programs will require a lot of work, the goal is to create a sustainable program that prioritizes the safety of our student athletes while preserving their opportunities to participate,\u201d Ranelli wrote. \u201cWe will update the community on the process in the coming weeks and months.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Lower Merion and Harriton parents want to merge their football programs amid shrinking rosters<\/a><\/p>\n The decision came after a cooperative between the teams was approved by Lower Merion School District\u2019s board in May.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cCooperative sponsorships are voluntary requests initiated by PIAA member schools to help promote student participation in interscholastic athletics,\u201d a PIAA spokesperson told The Inquirer. \u201cCurrently, the PIAA has more than 2,000 cooperative sponsorships involving member middle schools and high schools.\u201d<\/p>\n Ranelli was initially an opponent of merging the programs, but months of pressure from the community reversed the school district\u2019s position.<\/p>\n Many parents spoke out about the teams\u2019 low participation rates and possible safety risks associated with the under-rostered teams. Last year, a petition asking the Lower Merion school board to approve the merger garnered 300 signatures<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Harriton High School\u2019s varsity football season is suspended amid concerns over player safety, \u2018sustainability\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Rahul Mistry was part of a group of parents who advocated for the merger. Mistry\u2019s son, Matai Mistry, was one of Harriton\u2019s captain who played left tackle and defensive line. He transferred to the Hun School of Princeton following last season. <\/p>\n Throughout the process, Mistry was surprised by the schools\u2019 \u201cunwillingness to speak\u201d with the parents who raised concerns. Ultimately, he is pleased that the merger was approved. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad they did it,\u201d Mistry said. \u201cWish it was not as difficult. A lot of people end up transferring and leaving, and the Harriton team collapsed. Everything we\u2019re warning him about, trying to inform him about, were all true. There was no angle here. We\u2019re just trying to keep football alive and have these kids develop and stay safe.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still worried about them waiting and the delays because the participation is so low now. I know a lot of middle school kids that were looking to come in saw there\u2019s no future in football at either high school, and they went elsewhere.\u201d <\/p>\n Inquirer Lower Merion<\/p>\n A weekly newsletter<\/p>\n Want to get Inquirer Lower Merion straight to your inbox every week? Sign up here for our guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.<\/p>\n Chris McCloud, father of Finn McCloud who transferred from Harriton to Penn Charter before the football season began, also expressed excitement about the merger. He is hoping the cooperative will allow a freshman team, which neither Lower Merion or Harriton has had. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s pretty imperative that there\u2019s a freshman team,\u201d McCloud said. \u201cI really hope that happens. Because then, you can have the proper graduation into different levels of football.\u201d<\/p>\n Heather Farrell\u2019s three sons play on Lower Merion\u2019s varsity team. Her youngest son is a freshman and went through a \u201ctrial by fire\u201d due to the lack of a freshman team. Farrell, a proponent of the merger, raised concerns about the logistical changes that it could present. Specifically, how the district will handle transportation. In recent years, Lower Merion has dealt with significant bus shortages.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard talk that we would have our Friday night lights games at Harriton because that field can accommodate Friday night games,\u201d Farrell said. \u201cI\u2019ve also heard that some of the practices would be at Lower Merion. But for the football team this year, there are times when we didn\u2019t have access to a field. The kids were practicing on the side of a building in grass. That\u2019s not actually a football field. So I really hope that they\u2019ll prioritize the needs of this team as well.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min Lower Merion and Harriton High Schools are merging their football teams. 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